I was excited about the premise of this book and the cover really drew me in, but I feel like nothing happened for the first 3/4 of the book. I don’t mind working for a plot but something has to be semi happening for it to be worth it. Unfortunately this one was not for me

This was a slow burn romance that took place over the course of a year. Loved the characters! Was my first by this author but won’t be my last!

This was so so wonderful. I've been a fan of this author ever since ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and it was just totally delightful to read this book.

I adore Perkins’ ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS trilogy, and couldn’t wait to dive into her adult debut OVERDUE. OVERDUE spans the year that late-twenties Ingrid decides to go on a one month break from Cory, her boyfriend of 11 years. The idea is that they’ll date other people and get back together, and get married. Ingrid’s carrying a torch for her grumpy co-worker, Macon, but is Macon interested romantically in Ingrid? Will the break bring Cory and Ingrid closer together or push them apart forever?

I wanted to love this book, but I never connected to the characters, especially Ingrid who is extremely self-involved. The first 40% doesn’t actually even seem necessary to the real plot of the story. While the setting in an idyllic town in North Carolina is lovely, the descriptions are painstakingly (excruciatingly?) detailed—there are so many scenes about paint colors that you feel like you’re watching them dry. We follow characters to the home improvement store, to the tax office, the auto repair shop…it’s endless.

Readers looking for a cozy, atmospheric book, and who are ready to fan the spark of a the tiniest flame of romance for hundreds of pages will love OVERDUE!

I had such high hopes for this book. I read all of Stephanie Perkins' young adult books when I was a teenager and remember really enjoying them. I was excited to see she was writing an adult fiction book. However, this book just did not engage me in the way her others did.

My main issue with this book was that there is SO much telling and very little showing. There are often long pages without any dialogue, just the main character talking about her past or wandering of in thought/memory that doesn't seem to further the plot in any way. By the time I was halfway through this book I was just so bored I wanted to scream.

In addition to problems with engaging the reader, this book also tried to include commentary on every social issue. I am passionate about social justice and normally appreciate the inclusion in books. However when you are trying to fit your stance on climate change, censorship, COVID-19, and about 10 other policy issues into the text of your book, you have lost me. I thought it was especially ironic that this book referred to COVID-19 and lockdown several times and then, later on in the book, the character talks about how much she hates when she reads books that talk about COVID..... like what ?????

The connection between Ingrid and Macon was giving nothing. He rebuffs her at the beginning and then we don't have any build up. They just don't talk for like months and months and then one day the just get together.

Reading this book made me so frustrated and upset, I honestly had to take breaks. Not for me!

Honestly, I struggled to read this novel for at least half way. At that point, there were three more hours to the novel and I gave up even though I tried to find any chapter to capture my interest and maintain it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dnf. I honestly don’t know who this book will be for. The setup is nothing like the actual story, the characters are insufferable and the tropes did not work. This one was not for me.

While the pace can be verryyyyy slow, especially in the first half, the writing leans toward a YA tone. Overall, Overdue was just okay… not a favorite, but still a comforting read.

This book is going to stay with me for a long time. Stephanie Perkins really took us for a wild, emotional ride, and I am obsessed!

In Overdue, readers follow main character Ingrid as her life is turned upside down within the span of a year. (The story is told in parts that are marked by the passing of the months.) In January, Ingrid and her longtime boyfriend, Cory, decide to take a pause on their relationship, as each of them wants to explore other romantic options. While Ingrid immediately thinks of pursuing Macon, her library coworker who she has been crushing on for years, her plans ultimately go wrong, causing her to reevaluate her relationships, her career, and her values for the rest of the year. In December, her life looks completely different, and it's AMAZING!

I have to admit that the first half of the novel and the second half felt like completely different books. The first 50% is a bit depressing, actually. Ingrid's love life is a MESS, and her tone is defeated (think of the wonderful prose of Writers and Lovers by Lily King mixed with the self-pity and self-loathing of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, but add some humor, too.) That might sound like an awful mix, but I truly enjoyed it! The prose (and the book's situations) felt raw and relatable. In the midst of Ingrid's exploration, the author, Stephanie Perkins, builds delicious tension between Ingrid and Macon, and I ate all those scenes up! The second half of the book was so enjoyable, as everything really came together, and Ingrid became happier. It was inspiring!

The slowwwwww burn romance was one of the stars of the book. As I mentioned, the tension between Ingrid and Macon was unbelievable. They build such a beautiful friendship that turns into so much more. At first, you might doubt Macon as a love interest, but please, give him a chance!!! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.

Some other things I enjoyed in the book:
~The library scenes. Reading Perkins' author profile gave so much insight into the book. Those customer interactions were so odd and specific that I knew they had to be based on reality. As a librarian, they made me chuckle and smile :)
~The design and decoration scenes. Usually I'm not a big fan of detailed descriptions, but I loved these scenes because I could picture the amazing changes in my mind!
~The found family aspects. I wish I could meet these characters now!

Overall, I would give this a 4.5 out of 5. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Slow start. Ingrid was bland and boring in my opinion. I really didn’t enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Overdue is a slow-burning, introspective journey of self-discovery wrapped in a gentle, bookish romance. Ingrid, a librarian who has been in a long-term relationship since college, finds herself at a crossroads when she and her boyfriend decide to take a break and explore dating others. What follows is a thoughtful exploration of healing, friendship, and ultimately, finding unexpected love with her grumpy but tender coworker, Macon.

While the pace can be quite slow—especially in the first half—and the writing leans toward a YA tone with some dated millennial references, readers who appreciate character-driven stories will find much to enjoy. The library and bookstore settings provide a cozy atmosphere, and Macon’s shy, caring nature adds depth and warmth to the romance. The emotional growth of the characters feels genuine, even if Ingrid’s choices sometimes frustrate.

This book may not satisfy those looking for a fast-paced, spicy romance, but it is a rewarding read for anyone who loves slow-burn stories about finding yourself and love when you least expect it.

Ingrid has been with her college boyfriend for 11 years. When her younger sister announces her engagement, Ingrid realizes it's time to fish or cut bait. She and her boyfriend decide to date other people for a month and sow some wild oats before settling down and getting married. But things don't go as planned and one month turns into a much longer break.

I loved the setting of this book--Ingrid works at a small town library--but I did not care for the plot or the writing. Ingrid's romantic rumspringa felt tawdry and gross to me, and I had a hard time liking her. The writing was very YA as well, which makes sense since this author has written YA. But it was just too juvenile for the budding romance of a 20-something and a 30-something. I DNF'd it at 25%.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, Author Stephanie Perkins and St. Martin's press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Stephanie Perkins book and it was a Pallette cleanser from what I normally read.
In this book we follow Ingrid and Cory who have been dating for 11yrs and decide to go on a break for a month and date other people. Of course things don’t go as planned and we follow Ingrid for a year. This was a sllllllowww burn book. And I felt like it was really dragging on. I wish it was a dual POV. I feel like we would get a better connection to the characters if told in dual.
But it is a grumpy/Sunshine, age gap Romance. So that was a major plus. Just wish it was shorter or maybe even more fast pace.

This book started out being about a couple who mutually decided to cheat on each other. I’ll admit, the first 40% of the book was not my favorite. I didn’t appreciate how Ingrid knowingly messed with others’ feelings. Even though she and Cory agreed to this arrangement, the guys she dated were not made aware so it felt icky. She was also basically emotionally cheating her entire relationship with Cory. But I also didn’t like Cory from the very start and was annoyed that he wouldn’t cut her loose when it was obvious it wouldn’t work out between them.

Anyways, that’s all the stuff I didn’t like about the book. Thankfully the second 60% made up for the start. I would’ve rated this book 5 stars if the beginning was different. I loved the healing process for Ingrid and how she started to rebuild her life post-breakup. I loved the friends to lovers plot of this book, especially how Ingrid and Macon went from friends to best friends and then lovers. There was just so much depth to their relationship and I was obsessed. I’m so happy Ingrid opened her bookstore and the ending was perfect.

Really enjoyed this book. I’m always a sucker for a book about book people so having both characters love books was an automatic win for me. I absolutely loved seeing Ingrid AND Macon’s growth. And seeing Macon being truly shy and awkward even after the closer was great - it doesn’t just magically go away!

Thank you St. Martins Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love this cover and thought this was going to be such a sweet romance.

I would say this is more like a women's fiction and less like a traditional romance. I was very invested from the first pages as it reminded me of After I Do (aka my favorite book). However, the book then got SLOW. I don't need a spicy romance by any means but NOTHING happened until 70%.

It was the most dysfunctional of all relationships. I love grumpy/sunshine but this was soooo extreme.

This was not an enjoyable read for me but someone else might enjoy it. I would not have called this a romance but more of Women's fiction. I wasn't a fan of writing style or the storyline in general. The FMC, Ingrid is a librarian and literally everything relates back to books which is a bit annoying. I love books, I proudly call myself a reader and bookworm, but she was so flat and dull like that was literally her whole personality. It was very dry, and I feel like half the book wasn't worth reading. I felt like I had to finish since I received a copy as an ARC. The FMC also compared everyone to her ex-boyfriend or her crush like no one could compare at all. Her journey of self-discovery was boring and dull also like a to do list. Again, someone else might enjoy this but for me it was two stars. The spice level is low like 2.5 peppers. Its technically open-door romance but the wording is vague and not very detailed. You could easily skip the scenes and not miss anything.

This was a sweet, if uneven book. Ingrid and Cory have been together for 11 years, and were each others first everything. When her youngest sister got engaged, it put the two in late 20s existential crisis. Why aren't they married? Maybe they need to try out other people? They agreed to go on a break for a month and then reunite and get married.I'm not spoiling much because this agreement happened before the book starts. Though Ingrid has her eye specifically on one grouchy co-worker, she does experience disasters and swoons and the realities of dating on the apps. This book is uneven because the dating stops a bit abruptly, then there is a home updating montage, career aspirations, and romance in the background. It was like four books in one, which made it feel longer than it needed to be. But, it was a nice, harmless read for a Sunday. Plus there's a lot of books and a cute cat. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.

A wonderfully sweet (but not saccharine) story with lovable, engaging characters. Love a bookish romance!!

This was not the story I was expecting from the blurb, it was so much more.
The beginning was a little difficult for me to get into. Ingrid and Cory's plan to take a break, just for a month, and date others was honestly a little silly to me. Do people really do that? Clearly they weren't going to last as they extended that break into two, then three months. They were the only ones who couldn't admit it.
The grief that Ingrid experienced was real and raw. It was hard to watch her grieve over the loss of a relationship and future, even if it wasn't right for her.
The shining light in this was Macon. A true grumpy older man and coworker at the library. Set in his ways, quite, and a loner, but the care and support he shows for Ingrid brings tears to my eyes. He showed how he loved her in so many ways.
Their slow burn relationship took forever! I understand Macon was shy and needed for Ingrid to be ready. That was a healthy choice! And once they got together, it was fireworks.
This was definitely a heavier read than I was expecting, and longer too, but still a good one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.